There are a lot of former Minnesota prep players on Big 10 college basketball rosters this season. The MSR recently chatted with a few of their coaches on their progress thus far.

Wisconsin’s Marisa Mosley on sophomore guard Ronnie Porter (St. Paul Como Park): 

“She really got here out of her shell this past spring and summer and has really type of evolved into an ideal leader for our team.” The 5-foot-4-inch Porter played in 27 games, starting one game last season. The four-time St. Paul Conference Player of the Yr scored 2,174 points in her highschool 

In an exhibition win against UW-Whitewater October 29, Porter had 18 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. “She’s honest and a truth teller… Her intentionality and her desire to be great [are assets]. We’re very excited for her for this season,” added Moseley.

Michigan State’s Tom Izzo on sophomore guard Tre Holloman (Cretin-Durham Hall): 

“Tre Holloman has had a heck of a summer. He might be as hard a working guy as I got. He has been within the gym all summer. He has turn into a a lot better shooter.” 

The 6-foot-2-inch guard from Minneapolis played two sports in highschool and was recruited for each football and basketball. He was one in every of six players to play in all 34 games for State last season. A former Gatorade Player of the Yr for Minnesota, “Tre will certainly be in that playing group. We’re excited [about] what he’s done,” stated Izzo. 

Illinois’ Shauna Green on junior guard Adalia McKenzie (Park Center): 

“Adalia has continued to evolve as a player and as a pacesetter. She worked hard this summer on expanding our game and having the ability to be a threat from three-point in her pull-up and mid-range shot. We want her to be a threat.”  

A 3-time all-conference player and 2020-21 Minnesota Miss Basketball, the 5-foot-10-inch guard played every game as a freshman, starting 15 of 27 games, and last season was named All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten. McKenzie began every game and averaged nearly 14 points a contest last season. 

“We want her to be a threat. She’s just an unbelievable person and employee, and she or he desires to be great. She will almost get too down on herself [when she makes a mistake or misses a shot]. She’s made big-time improvements,” noted Green.

Nebraska’s Amy Williams on junior forward Kendall Coley (St. Louis Park): 

“Once we went on our foreign trip to Greece, I believed she was just particularly focused and motivated.” 

The 6-foot-2-inch forward-guard got here to Nebraska because the top-rated player in a top-25 recruiting class in 2021-22. Coley was an all-conference player and her team’s MVP and Most Improved Player as a junior at St. Louis Park. Coley is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten player.  

“The subsequent step is that if she will just develop that mindset of really being a consistent scoring presence for us and she or he plays the sport the proper way. I believe once she develops slightly more scoring mentality, the more competent she’ll be,” said Williams.

Conference reshuffling

    The Pac-12 Conference, as we understand it, might be gone next 12 months as Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington join the Big Ten; Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah go to the Big 12; and California and Stanford leave for the ACC.

    Veteran broadcaster Cindy Brunson bemoans the West Coast conference’s ultimate demise. “To begin with, I’m heartbroken,” Brunson told the MSR. 

“It’s, in my view, the most effective women’s basketball conference within the country.” She predicts that with the 4 schools joining the Big Ten next season, “I believe it routinely becomes the strongest conference within the country.”